MAM
dentsuMB Group CEO Sidharth Rao moves on
MUMBAI: After a career spanning over 22 years, dentsuMB Group CEO Sidharth Rao has moved on from the agency. Rao will be leaving the business in December 2022 to return to his entrepreneurial roots,the agency announced in a statement on Wednesday.
dentsuMB India will then come under the additional charge of Isobar India group CEO Heeru Dingra, supported by business leaders Ajit Devraj, Indrajeet Mookerjee and Harsh Shah. The new dentsuMB India leadership team will work with Rao through the transition, and in close partnership with Amit Wadhwa, CEO for the entirety of dentsu’s Creative Service Line for India.
Rao was given the additional responsibility of CEO of the dentsuMB Group in June 2021 as part of dentsu’s restructuring of creative, digital and PR services.
He took over the role of chairman at dentsu’s creative agency Happy mcgarrybowen (HMB) India and Dentsu Webchutney in January 2020. Prior to that, Rao was CEO of dentsu Webchutney, a company he founded along with Sudesh Samaria in 1999, before it was acquired by dentsu in 2013.
Confirming the development, dentsu India Creative Service Line CEO Amit Wadhwa said, “Sid is not just a colleague – he is, and will remain, a dear friend. He has played an instrumental role in dentsu India’s growth and creative journey, as well as in mentoring our talent, which gives me every confidence and much excitement for the next generation of dentsuMB India’s leaders who are already proving formidable.”
“We truly wish Sid every luck as he returns to his entrepreneurial ambition and passion, for which we are sure he will find great success again,” he added.
On his moving on, Sidharth Rao said, “Being acquired by dentsu was by far the most important milestone in Webchutney’s journey. It has been a great, great ride. Dentsu India is making such exciting strides and I am especially happy to see Dentsu Webchutney the strongest it’s ever been. There are absolutely no regrets. I have enjoyed this decade long journey enormously, and great credit goes to the network’s leadership team who I would like to thank dearly for making dentsu feel like home since day one.”
“For my journey ahead, I am exploring new ideas in the exciting online space, with details of my plan ready to be announced in the coming months,” Rao further added.
An integral part of dentsu India’s executive leadership team, Rao has helped build dentsu’s digital and creative capabilities in the market, the agency said in a statement. Under his leadership, dentsu India has been awarded at multiple local as well as major international award shows including Cannes Lions, Spikes Asia, The One Show and D&AD.
Brands
Sunfeast Dark Fantasy turns hoarding into live SRK party stunt
OOH activation brings billboard to life, teases ‘Party with SRK’ reward
MUMBAI: Sunfeast Dark Fantasy has taken outdoor advertising up a notch, turning a regular hoarding into a live party experience as part of its latest campaign.
The activation, built around the ongoing 1 Million Fantasies campaign, drew crowds as a billboard suddenly came alive, blending entertainment with traditional out-of-home media in a way that stopped passersby in their tracks.
At the centre of the spectacle was a giant hoarding that lit up with a video of Shah Rukh Khan, announcing he would fulfil fans’ fantasies. Within moments, the space transformed into a lively scene with music, confetti and onlookers capturing the moment on their phones.
The stunt also served as a teaser for a larger consumer engagement. As part of the campaign, 40 winners will get the chance to experience a “Party with SRK”, positioning the activation as both a preview and a participation hook.
Explaining the idea behind the execution, ITC Limited foods division VP and head of marketing biscuits Suraj Kathuria said, “Outdoor media is typically designed to be viewed from a distance. With this activation, we wanted to push the boundaries of what a hoarding can do by turning it into an experience people could actually step into and celebrate on.”
By transforming a static format into a live, shareable moment, the brand has effectively blurred the lines between advertising and entertainment. The activation also highlights how experiential marketing is evolving, with brands looking to create moments that travel far beyond their physical location through social media.
With the promise of a real party with Shah Rukh Khan still to come, Sunfeast Dark Fantasy seems to have found a sweet spot where fantasy meets the street.
